Are You Still Sleeping?

I work with a student-run radio station at Penn State. I am a part of the sports department and, naturally, work with people who are supposed to know sports. Yet I found myself arguing with another staff member about the current state of the NBA. He insisted that professional basketball is in its demise, and even had the nerve to suggest that the NHL has surpassed the NBA in its popularity. Don’t get me wrong, as a Flyers fan I am the first one to stick up for the NHL…when it’s warranted. This, however, was too bold.

I realized that this guy had not watched a basketball game since Michael Jordan wore a Washington Wizards jersey, and knew to argue my point in a language he understood. Nationally televised hockey games can be found on Versus (a channel usually sandwiched somewhere in between Turner Classic Movies and SoapNet) and every few weekends on NBC. You can catch the NBA three or four nights a week on ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2 and TNT. Take your pick. That did not convince him.

It was a shame that my colleague had not been paying attention to this season. He missed Kobe’s MVP campaign, the development of Chris Paul into the league’s premier point guard, the resurrection of the Boston Celtics, a western conference playoff race that separated the first and eighth places teams by just seven games, and the best slam-dunk contest I’ve ever seen starring a physical phenom named Dwight Howard. Even the slam-dunk contest was good?! With all these highlights, I wondered how he could gloss over such an incredible season. And then I wondered how many others are in the dark.

“Fans are always apprehensive about the NBA,” said Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated senior basketball writer. “I’ve long said that the sport walks a very narrow line with the public, much more so than baseball  and football. The message has not gotten around that unselfish play, to a large extent, is back.”

To those who remain apprehensive, I offer the same advice I gave to the clueless broadcaster they let cover sports at the radio station: Watch the playoffs. So far, I’ve been right. The second round is not even a week old, and fans have not been disappointed. The best storylines of the regular season have continued into the postseason. There were even some unexpected performances out of the east, giving viewers a preview of the future.

Kobe Bryant, with the experience of Derek Fischer and the low-post presence of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, dismantled the Denver Nuggets in a four-game sweep. The Nuggets won 50 games during the regular season, but they could not match Kobe’s 33.5 points per game. The Lakers are already two games up on the Jazz as the two teams head back to Utah for their second round matchup.

The Jazz, in their methodical fashion, picked apart the Houston Rockets in six games, and denied Tracy McGrady the second round once again. Deron Williams has established himself as one of the best point guards in the league, boasting 20.8 points per game and 8.5 assists per game.

While Williams is one of the best at the position, Chris Paul can say he is the best point guard in the league. He proved this with his performance in the first round, eliminating the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Avery Johnson didn’t lose his job based on Dallas’ performance as much as Paul cost him his employment. Putting up a gaudy 24.6 points a game and 12 assists, Paul and the Hornets established themselves as a serious contender despite their age and lack of experience. They are currently up two games to one in the second round against the Spurs, who made quick work of the Phoenix Suns in the first round, defeating them in five games.

The West is still up for grabs with the top four seeds still in play. With four championships in the past nine years, the Spurs should never be counted out. However, Chris Paul carved up their defense in the first two games, and somehow made Tony Parker look slow. The Lakers are going to be tough to beat, and my pick to represent the west in the finals. Kobe has never looked more comfortable as the leader of that team, and relishes in the pressure to bring a title back to Los Angeles.

Surprisingly the east has offered more competitive matchups in the playoffs. Philadelphia took two games from the Pistons, one of which came in Detroit. The talent and experience on the Pistons proved too much for the 76ers, but the NBA was offered a glimpse of a young, athletic team that is sure to make serious noise in the next few years.

The Orlando/Toronto series was not as exciting as the others, but Dwight Howard is always worth the price of admission. He simply overpowered Chris Bosh and the Raptors with 22.6 points per game and a staggering 18.6 rebounds per game. It is pure fun to watch Howard develop into one of the most dominant forces in the game today. As he matures Howard will become one of the most physical players in the history of the NBA. At 6-11 and 265 pounds, it is uncanny to see a guy of his size jump as high as he does and with his unmatched power (see 2008 NBA Slam-Dunk Contest – seriously YouTube that performance).

While the Celtics were crowned even before the season began, they had to get through the Atlanta Hawks first. I know that sentence looks funny, but so did a game seven in their first round matchup. The series showcased another young, athletic team poised to make a name for itself and bring hope to an inferior eastern conference.

And then there was Lebron. The Washington Wizards beat him up, taunted him and still called him a crybaby at the end of the day. How did he respond? By leading his team in points, rebounds and assists per game with 29.8, 9.5 and 7.7 respectively. The first round defeat marked the third season in a row that the Wizards were dispatched by King James. His Cavs are down two games to none in their second round series against Boston. And Even with James shooting 8-for-42 in the two losses, he can not and should not be counted out. Remember the eastern conference finals last year against Detroit? The Pistons do.

Still, the Celtics are my favorite to come out of the east. If my predictions come true, the NBA is headed for a date with destiny.

“Without question, the No. 1 factor in the NBA’s recent success is the resurgence of the franchises in L.A. and Boston,” said McCallum. “People still think of the Laker-Celtic rivalry in the 80s as the golden age of the NBA.”

What a way that would be to cap off this remarkable season. Do you think that would get people’s attention?